Top ten essential J-Horror films

Japanese horror has long held incredible significance to genre cinema, with its often profoundly complex stories thriving in the allure, fear and intrigue of terror and the human condition. Before the likes of paranormal Onryōs, with their ruthless, vengeful missions of suffering, or the judicial-themed investigative plotlines where all sorts of brutal horrors lie in wait, there was 'Godzilla' (1954), which presented gigantic, mutated monsters wreaking astronomical havoc. Shortly after the highly influential epic that was Godzilla premiered, there were 'Onibaba' (1964) and 'Kwaidan' (1964), both of which saw themes of cosmic karma manifest in horrifying ways.

The following decade ushered in vampiric creature features such as 'The Vampire Doll' (1970) and 'Lake of Dracula' (1971), but what defined the era for Japanese cinema more than anything was the absolute classic 'Hausu' (1977).Akin to a kaleidoscopic acid trip was Hausu's logic-defying eeriness that has kept the film in the spotlight ever since.

Whilst Japan's filmic history has traversed leaps and bounds in the world of cinema, one particular era of horror remains legendarily pertinent: J-horror. Although the terminology may suggest otherwise, J-horror is not simply defined as a shortened version of 'Japanese horror'; instead, J-horror is interpreted as supernatural, psychological horror with a focus on atmospheric dread and its fable-like stories. This golden age of horror blossomed in the late 1990s, with the primary core of the niche genre dropping off circa the mid-2000s. Without further ado, Dead Northern presents the top ten essential J-horror films. 

1- Cure/Kyua (Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa) 

Incredibly important to the origins of J-horror, but still often overlooked next to its counterparts, is Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cure'. As the credits roll, first-time viewers, or even repeat watchers, may notice an odd feeling of uncertainty, heavy dread, and an ambiguous confusion that emulates the deliberately hypnotic atmosphere that the film stealthily builds upon from its very first minute. The film sees a detective, Kenichi Takabe (Kōji Hashimoto), be given the lead on a string of horrific murders where each victim is left with an 'X' carved into their skin. What follows is nearly two hours of cryptic illusions conjured by Takabe's investigation and the introduction of Kunio Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara), a suspect whose involvement in the killings is unprecedentedly dark. Cure takes everything that makes judicial psychological cinema effective, such as the thrill of the chase in 'Seven' (1995), the twists and turns in 'Memories of murder' (2003) and the gripping brutality of reality in 'Prisoners' (2013) and makes an alchemical blend of cinematic magic. 

2- Ringu/The Ring (Directed by Hideo Nakata) 

Based on the novel 'Ring' (1991) by Koji Suzuki and inspired by the original made-for-TV adaptation in 1995, director Hideo Nakata and writer Hiroshi Takahashi took to remaking their own take on cursed videotapes and vengeful spirits, with 'Ringu'. The subsequent creation follows Reiko (Nanako Matsushima), a journalist, who, after her niece's death, is compelled to investigate a cursed videotape that summons Sadako (Rie Inō), a vindictive ghost, seven days after watching the disturbing tape. The film is saturated with allegories over the threat of modernity and the anxiety towards an increasingly technological society, combined with suggestive readings concerning the responsibilities and treacherous nature of motherhood in a contemporary society, yet, what remains the most pertinent trait from Ringu' and its American remake, Gore Verbinski's 'The Ring' (2002), is just how soul-grippingly terrifying its antagonist is. The image of Sadako crawling out of a TV, gripping onto the floor with shredded fingertips as her impossibly long hair drapes across her ghostly pale face, has become synonymous with the boom of J-horror. 

3- Pulse/Kairo (Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa) 

With filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa being such an integral part of Japanese cinema, his second entry on the list, 'Pulse', similarly to Cure, is an intrinsic part of what makes J-horror such a crucial part of contemporary horror's makeup. Pulse is a tale of two halves, with the film following two parallel stories that see a student and a plant nursery employee uncover a mass phenomenon as people seem to be unexpectedly disappearing, revealing that the afterlife is using the internet as a vessel to invade the living world. The thematics of Pulse are totally hooked with a layer of palpable existential dread as the film captures nihilism and pure hopelessness as the narrative reaches its bleak ending; all of which is consumed by the matter of techno-paranoia that was particularly rife at the point of Pulse's production. But above all, the most evocative elements are the film's utterly inescapable scenes of horror featuring instances of terrifying imagery that remain engraved onto the minds of any and all viewers. Uncanny ghosts emerging from the shadows and disturbed internet 'dark rooms', Pulse remains nail-bitingly scary 25 years on. 

4- Ju-On: The Grudge (Directed by Takashi Shimizu) 

 'Ju-On: The Grudge' may be the third entry into the 'Ju-On' franchise, succeeding 'Ju-On: The Curse' (2000) and its sequel 'Ju-On: The Curse 2' (2000), but it is still the most well-known amongst all the 13 films and more importantly, it remains a famed pillar in the world of J-horror. The various vignettes compile to form one horrifically haunting story, which is synchronised with the strange liminal spaces to create a film that is both memorable and unprecedentedly iconic to the lore of East Asian cinema. Ju-On aided the western introduction of the traditional Japanese legend Onryō, a wrathful spirit who, after undergoing mistreatment in their physical life, exacts revenge on the living. As seen throughout Ju-On, the film's resident Onryō, Kayako (Takako Fuji), the victim of uxoricide, thrives in unleashing relentless horror at the hands of her unstoppable anger and pain through her cursed ways. 

5- Dark Water/ Honogurai mizu no soko Kara (Directed by Hideo Nakata) 

In line with the traditions of J-horror, Hideo Nakata's 'Dark Water' does not spoon-feed its story; alternatively, the film employs subtle foreshadowing and contextual clues in forming its intricacies like a spiderweb, leading to shocking and daunting conclusions once all the pieces of the puzzle are laid bare. Hitomi Kuroki plays Yoshimi, a single mother who moves into an unkempt apartment complex with her young daughter, Ikuko (Rio Kanno). Yoshimi's attempts to move on from her messy divorce prove difficult after she notices a constant water leak from the apartment above her, leading to a horrific tragedy. Dark Water, like many J-horror films, is a sombre rendition of melancholy and sorrow, where the horror of the story combines with the tonal, dramatic layering to create a film that feels meaningful whilst remaining incredibly terrifying all at once. 

6- One Missed Call/Chakushin ari (Directed by Takashi Miike) 

Acclaimed director Takashi Miike is entirely deserving of his own list, with the Osaka-born creator earning a reputation for being a master of horror across his 35 years of filmmaking. The likes of 'Audition' (1999), 'Visitor Q' (2001) or his segment 'Box' for the anthology horror 'Three… Extremes'(2004) are all notable mentions in the J-horror landscape, but his take on curses, the rise of technology and high-tension kills within One Missed Call is crucial to the J-horror that audiences have come to fear and love. One Missed Call tackled much of what previous films within the subgenre had established, including the tropes listed above, alongside the threat of virality and a refreshing touch of absurdity. What makes One Missed Call noteworthy is that it acknowledged the growing infatuation with the subgenre and consequently monopolised every cliche and trope and turned the extremely serious pathos into a bloodied and jumpscare-filled teen-esque horror. 

7- Premonition/Yogen (Directed by Norio Tsuruta) 

 'Premonition', taken from the manga 'Kyoufu Shinbun' (1973), which translates to 'Newspaper of Terror', follows Hideki Satomi (Hiroshi Mikami), a father who comes across a newspaper that predicts the death of his friends and family. In unravelling the mystery of the prophetic paper, Hideki and his estranged wife, Ayaka (Noriko Sakai), discover that altering such past tragedies comes at a colossal physical and moral cost. Premonition takes the core principles of J-horror, such as emotionally charged stories akin to parables and legends, and manifests a film that is aglow with damning, complex questions over existentialism and destiny. Besides the rigmarole of sombre explorations, Premonition excels on a technical level, with the film blending cold, daunting visual aesthetics with moving performances to make for a highly underrated, but incredibly important J-horror film. 

8- Marebito/Visitor From Afar (Directed by Takashi Shimizu) 

Being no stranger to J-horror, Takashi Shimizu filmed 'Marebito' in under eight days between the filming schedule of 'Ju-On: The Grudge' and its western remake 'The Grudge' (2004). However, unlike its scheduling partners, Marebito never reached the same level of attention that its counterparts did across the ocean, despite its fairly cult cinema reputation in Japan. Set in the bustling city of Tokyo, Marebito sees the obsessive cameraman Takuyoshi Masuoka (Shin'ya Tsukamoto) become consumed with the sensation of fear that comes from death. His strange compulsions soon take a turn for the worse after he photographs a man committing suicide in the city's subway, leading to the discovery of an eerie woman living deep underground. The film not only explores some truly interesting subject matters concerning the roots of terror and the rawness that blooms from unfiltered reactions, but it also displays the harrowing allegories in a visually captivating, Lovecraftian way. 

9- Noroi: The Curse (Directed by Kōji Shiraishi)

'Noroi: The Curse' does something that no other film on this list does: it presents its events through a mockumentary, found footage lens, as we follow Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki), a paranormal researcher on an investigative quest surrounding the nefarious demon 'Kagutaba'. According to the box office statistics, the film did not venture onto the market with the warmest of receptions, with Noroibeing essentially a financial disaster, making the equivalent of just over $7000 despite its $2 million budget. However, over the two decades since its release, Noroi has become a sleeper hit, with the film being widely lauded as not only a found footage gem, but a quintessential member of the J-horror hall of fame. Notably earning Noroi its cult classic status is the film's labyrinth-like mythology that Kobayashi explores; intricate threads of varying stories are opened before the previous one reaches a conclusion, various characters and their baggage are breached and then seemingly abandoned, but like any worthwhile J-horror film, the complex maze of flooded information soon melts together, creating a calamitous and profoundly detailed story that remains unforgettable. 

 10- Retribution/Sakebi (Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa) 

As the other entries on this list show, there is a good reason why filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa is cited as a pivotal creator in cinema across the globe, with his 2006 'Retribution', cementing this reputation even further. Retribution follows Kōji Hashimoto as a homicide officer following up on the murder of a Jane Doe wearing a distinct red dress. As his inquiry delves deeper into the happenings of the tragedy, he soon begins to piece together eerie clues that he may be more involved in this case than previously thought.  Most of the terror within Retribution is emitted by the film's moody and dark atmosphere, conjured not just visually but also allegorically, with the story taking some unexpected and disturbed turns as the horrifying reality of the investigation comes to the surface.

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